Constructor Start Demo Day

Founder & Chairman of the Board of Constructor Group, Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of Constructor University

Singaporean businessman, entrepreneur, and investor. He co-founded and led many global enterprise software companies, including cyber protection company Acronis, virtualization provider Parallels, service automation platform Odin, and the Constructor ecosystem as founder and primary investor.

Managing Partner & Advisor, Constructor Capital

Matthias joined Constructor Capital as a Managing Partner and Advisor in 2023.
Matthias is a consultant veteran who spent over 20 years at McKinsey & Company in Zurich as a Senior Partner. He led the European Telecom Practice leadership team and advised a variety of telecom clients on various projects. Before McKinsey, Matthias worked as a Research Associate at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Information Management from EBS Universität.

General Partner, Constructor Capital
VP Business Development & Chief of Staff, Constructor Group

Marie Lepske joined Constructor Capital as a General Partner in 2023. Her role within the Constructor Group includes serving as the VP for Business Development and Chief of Staff. Before her current position, Marie worked as a Senior VC Associate at Runa Capital, primarily focusing on the DeepTech sector from 2019 to 2022. In Constructor Capital Marie is continuing to share her expertise in due diligence of DeepTech startups. Besides that her professional journey includes roles as the former IR Director at Innov8 (Venture Capital fund) and COO at Kinian (Family Office). Marie holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Founder & CEO, you.com
Founder & Managing Partner, AIX Ventures

Richard is the CEO and Founder of you.com, the world’s first chat-based search assistant. Furthermore, he is founder and managing partner at AIX Ventures where he is active as both an investor and mentor. Prior to his entrepreneurial career, he served as the Chief Scientist and EVP at Salesforce. A recipient of numerous academic and professional accolades, including being named to Time Magazine’s Time100 AI, he is widely recognized as having brought neural networks into the field of natural language processing, inventing the most widely used word vectors, contextual vectors and prompt engineering. Richard received his Ph.D. in computer science at Stanford University in 2014 and later served as an adjunct professor in the CS department at Stanford.

President & Board Director, QuEra Computing

President & Board Director at QuEra Computing. Spearheaded the strategy toward gate-based, FTQC quantum computers and drove major commercial expansion ($42M landmark deal), critical partnerships (Google, NVIDIA, Softbank Vision Fund) and financing round ($230M raise). Takuya Kitagawa is a former Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten, CDO (Chief Data Officer) and Global Director of Rakuten Institute of Technology in charge of AI business and research, managing over 700 talents across the globe. As a theoretical physicist, he proposed the theory of Floquet topological phases. He co-founded Topologic, a startup that aims to industrialize topological materials. A founder of Well-being for planet earth Foundation and Unson Foundation. He obtained Bachelor degree in Mathematic and Physics from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University.

Director, Institute of Quantum Control · Professor of Physics, University of Cologne

Dr. Tommaso Calarco is a theoretical physicist and a leading expert in quantum technologies and quantum control. He is the Director of the Institute of Quantum Control, where he leads research on the control and optimization of complex quantum systems. He is also a Professor of Physics at the University of Cologne and holds a senior research position at Forschungszentrum Jülich, one of Europe’s leading research centers. His work focuses on quantum computing, quantum simulation, and the development of robust control methods for next-generation quantum technologies. Dr. Calarco is actively involved in shaping Europe’s quantum ecosystem, contributing to major research initiatives and advising on the strategic development of quantum science and innovation.

Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, CEO of Constructor Start

Seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in innovation strategy, product development, startup acceleration, and venture investments. Proven track record in driving digital transformation, managing venture capital funds, and building innovation ecosystems across Europe and Central Asia.
Skilled in leading cross-functional teams, scouting global technology trends, and delivering business growth through strategic partnerships and investments. Founder and ex-director of a leading corporate innovation and venture investment function in IT&digital in Eastern Europe. Experienced management partner of a VC fund. Speaker and academic expert of Business schools.

Co-founder and CEO at Ludenso

Eirik Wahlstrøm is Co-founder and CEO of Ludenso, an Oslo-based augmented reality platform for educational publishers. Founded in 2018, Ludenso provides a drag-and-drop tool that allows publishers to embed 3D models and interactive content into textbooks. The company works with approximately 30 publishers across 10 countries, including Cambridge University Press and Oxford, and raised $1 million in seed funding in 2022. Wahlstrøm studied Industrial Economics and Technology Management at NTNU, where he met co-founder Harald Manheim. Together they first launched MovieMask in 2016, a mobile headset for smartphone-based viewing that sold tens of thousands of units globally after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Recognizing the scalability challenges of hardware in education, they pivoted to create Ludenso's software solution, which works with devices already present in classrooms.

Professor of Physics, University of Hamburg & University of Oxford

A pioneer in the field of quantum simulation, Professor Jaksch specializes in the study of strongly correlated non-equilibrium quantum systems. After obtaining his PhD from the University of Innsbruck in 1999, he spent nearly two decades at the University of Oxford, where he rose to the rank of Professor in 2010. He currently leads a research group at the University of Hamburg focused on many-body quantum optical systems while maintaining a research position at Oxford. Professor Jaksch’s research has been foundational to the development of quantum simulators, particularly his early work on ultracold atoms in optical lattices. His current focus extends to non-equilibrium dynamics in condensed matter and the creation of variational quantum computing algorithms designed to solve complex non-linear optimization problems, such as fluid flow simulations. With over 200 publications and 25,000 citations, his contributions to the field have been recognized with the Institute of Physics' Thomas Young Medal and Prize. He has spearheaded major international initiatives, including the ERC Synergy Grant QMAC and the UK’s NQIT Quantum Hub. Currently, he serves as the lead investigator for the EU Quantum Flagship project QCFD, bridging the gap between theoretical quantum mechanics and practical industrial applications.

Founder & Chairman of the Board, Constructor Group
Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors, Constructor University Bremen

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Almaz Capital

Founder & Partner, Equivia Partners

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, EXANTE

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Acronis
Former CEO of VMware and Pivotal Software

Partner & Senior Managing Director, CVC Capital Partners

Founder & Managing Partner, Xista Ventures

Technology Executive, Advisor, and Operating Investor
Former CEO of Acronis

CEO, IONOS

Partner, Learn Capital

Partner, Apex Ventures

Partner & Co-founder of PhotonVentures Fund